flagellum

[ fluh-jel-uhm ]

noun

, plural fla·gel·la [fl, uh, -, jel, -, uh], fla·gel·lums.

1. Biology. a long, lashlike appendage serving as an organ of locomotion in protozoa, sperm cells, etc.
2. Botany. a runner.
3. Also called clavola. Entomology. (in an antenna) the whiplike portion above the basal joints.
4. a whip or lash.

flagellum

/ fləˈdʒɛləm /

noun

1. biology a long whiplike outgrowth from a cell that acts as an organ of locomotion: occurs in some protozoans, gametes, spores, etc
2. botany a long thin supple shoot or runner
3. zoology the terminal whiplike part of an arthropod's appendage, esp of the antenna of many insects

flagellum

/ flə-jĕl′əm /

, Plural flagella

1. A slender whiplike part extending from some single-celled organisms, such as the dinoflagellates, that moves rapidly back and forth to impart movement to the organism.

Derived Forms

• flaˈgellar, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flagellum¹

1800–10; < Latin: whip, lash, diminutive of flagrum a whip, scourge

Word History and Origins

Origin of flagellum¹

C19: from Latin: a little whip, from flagrum a whip, lash

Example Sentences

Think of its incredibly sophisticated miniature machines, like the swirling flagellum that helps a bacterium swim.

From MIT Technology Review

Here a flagellum from the male unites with the female, which soon thereafter becomes encysted in the wall of the intestine.

From Project Gutenberg

Despite some humorous touches, this Flagellum Parliamentum is still disagreeable to read.

From Project Gutenberg

He began a series of satires on princes and leading men, and earned the title of flagellum principum.

From Project Gutenberg

The pseudopodia are occasionally withdrawn, and the flagellum is the sole means of locomotion.

From Project Gutenberg

In addition to the main flagellum, there are usually one or two small flagella at the basis of the larger one.

From Project Gutenberg